Vulnerable
by deanangst
Summary: comment fic the prompt was Leverage, Eliot/Nate, When Eliot actually SLEEPS, He's completely and utterly dead and at his most vulnerable to the world for 90 minutes.


Leverage, Eliot/Nate, When Eliot actually SLEEPS, He's completely and utterly dead (and at his most vulnerable) to the world for 90 minutes.

It seems that I have a thing for Sleeping Eliot. I found this on my hard drive. I'd started it as a reply for a prompt back in December but never got a chance to complete it. I've added a bit more to it and in my mind it takes place after the story Guilty Hearts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just showing my love for the show. No Harm intended.

Vulnerable

They have been working together for over a year now. The team has fallen back into the easy routine that had developed before the move to Boston. Actually no, what they had now was stronger, solid, in a way that only happens when everyone admits that they are together for more than the job. They are together because they need to be needed and wanted. That is a big thing to admit for people that have spent their lives alone.

They completed the current job that afternoon and the team had gathered at Nate's for the post mission debriefing. More commonly known as the movie and junk food post job crash. The camping gear Eliot had used on stake out never made it back to the supply closet/room. And after Parkers comment of having never gone camping the couch has been moved back a few feet, and the coffee table has been moved away. Now the sleeping bag is rolled out onto the floor in front of the couch, and somehow the pillows from Nate's bed have made their way into the mess. Seating arrangements had changed during the movie, Sophie the first to move, finding the chair more comfortable than the thin padding of the sleeping bag provided on the hard wood floor. Nate had never given up his seat to begin with, the angle of the chair allowed him to watch the movie and his team. Alec was camped out on the couch, remote firmly in hand. Parker split her time, hyper as always, between the floor and the couch. Eliot was the only one content where he was, laying on his back, pillow wedged behind his head, using the front of the couch as a makeshift headboard.

Then, halfway thru the movie, Nate saw it. Eliot's head slowly began to drop forward only to be jerked back up seconds later. Eliot's eyes blinking furiously as he tried to focus on the TV screens. By the third time it happened it was more than just his head falling forward, it was if his entire body collapsed. The hand that had been holding onto a empty beer bottle fell sideways, his shoulders slumped and he seemed to sink further down onto the ground. Nate leaned forward in his chair and retrieved the empty bottle, halfway expecting a reaction from the younger man. To his amazement he didn't get so much as a finger wiggle when the bottle was removed.

When the movie was over Sophie and Alec were up and moving, throwing out the trash and preparing to leave. Nate still studied Eliot, marveling at what he was seeing. Parker was kneeling on the floor beside Eliot, a look of concentration on her face that she normally reserved for only the most prestigious of safes, yet she wasn't being gentle by any means. Moving Eliot's head from side to side she surveyed her handy work making sure the thin braids were even, replacing the ones he'd removed for his latest character.

Despite all the noise and movement around him Eliot still hadn't offered to wiggle. One look at Sophie and Nate knew that She understood what it meant. He thinks maybe Alec and Parker have a vague understanding, but he doubts they can truly comprehend what it means for a hitter of Eliot's caliber to allow himself to be vulnerable in any way. They couldn't understand that when Eliot sleeps it isn't a nap it is a dead to the world slumber. Maybe it would be better to classify it as a coma state, because it's as if Eliot's brain has stopped all functions but those needed to keep him alive. Alec would most certainly call it a hard reboot of his internal processors.

Nate also knows that this, Eliot Sleeping in their presence, is even bigger that just trusting that they won't hurt him. Eliot is trusting them to prevent someone else from hurting him.

"Parker, are you ready? I'll give you a ride home." Sophie offers as she grabs her purse from the bar.

"That's okay, I came in Eliot's truck." The Thief Replied.

"You gonna wait 'til he wakes up?" Hardison asked.

"No." Holding up the set of key's she'd just pulled from the hitters Jeans pocket. "I'm taking Eliot's truck."

"Girl, he's gonna kill you for stealing his truck. That man loves his truck."

"I'm not stealing you don't steal from your family. " Parker squinting at Alec as she stood and hopped over the prone man. "I'm borrowing… I left a note and everything."

"Night Nate." The three called in unison as they headed out the door. Nate lifted his coffee cup in acknowledgement as he shook his head at the girls thought process all the while still watching Eliot.

Exactly 90 minutes after the hitter fell asleep Nate noticed movement. He watched as Eliot came to, expecting a jolt into wakefulness. Instead it was a slow process, complete with a lazy stretch and an uncoordinated fumble to rub his eyes as the younger man sat up and looked around the quite room. "Sorry, didn't mean for that to happen." Eliot said when he noticed that the only other person in the room was Nate.

Nate smiled at Eliot's clumsy movements. The poor guy was sleep drunk, his brain and body begging for more rest but his own stubbornness refusing to give in.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Standing up Nate gestured to the couch, "I have it on good authority that the couch is more comfortable than it looks. "

"Thanks but…." Waving his hand to the pillows and sleeping bag on the floor. "I already got my time in, I'll clean this up and be out of your hair in a five. " Staggering slightly as he bent to pick up the pillows Nate caught Eliot's arm.

"I think your body is trying to tell you it could use an extra go round, besides Parker took your keys. I guess she rode in with you and decided that she didn't want to stick around to see if the 90 minutes of sleep comment was true.

Eliot's eyebrows drew together as he reached into his blue jeans pocket and instead of coming out with his truck keys he found an IOU note from Parker. "She's just weird." He grumbled without any heat to his voice, shrugging his shoulders he took Nate up on his offer and settled down on the couch. "Thanks man" He mumbled, and to Nate's amazement slipped back to sleep within seconds. Grabbing the sleeping bag off the floor Nate covered the younger man. Instead of heading upstairs to his own waiting bed Nate found himself settling back into his chair. Content for the moment in his role of protector.


End file.
